AN ERGONOMIC APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN AND SAFETY FOR THE ELDERLY

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A large percentage of accidents among the elderly occur at home and involve some type of consumer product or environmental agent such as: stairs and steps, bathtubs and showers, and improper use of tools and appliances. Accidents and resulting injuries interfere with performance of activities of daily living (ADL) as well as create fear and apprehension in older adults impeding the elderly from living independently. There are indications that many of the accidents could be prevented with appropriate intervention strategies. The development of accident prevention strategies must be based on an understanding of accident causality and of the human/environment interaction. In addition, we must develop effective techniques to disseminate this information to older individuals, caregivers, and medical personnel. This proposed project will involve: 1) developing a detailed understanding of accident causality for a number of products/environmental components; 2) identifying appropriate hazard intervention strategies for the same products/environmental components; 3) developing and evaluating education and safety training material to insure successful implementation of the hazard interventions; and 4) developing techniques to disseminate this information to relevant individuals or organization. The hazard intervention strategies will be evaluated in intervention and field studies. In the intervention study a sample of 50 home environments will be evaluated, using task analytic techniques, in terms of their appropriateness with respect to home safety and the demands (relative to capabilities) they place on the residents. Appropriate hazard reduction strategies will be developed and implemented in these homes. The effectiveness of these interventions will be evaluated by composing pre and post measures of ADL performance and home safety to a control sample who have not received the interventions. In the field study a sample of 50 elderly people will receive a multimedia home safety training program, developed in this pro and undergo a pre-post training test in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The project's goal is to improve the quality of life for older people and enhance their ability to live independently at home. It fits well with the overall objectives of the Center for human Factors Engineering and Aging Research.